With this issue of Sword and Shield, the magazine enters its third year. Two years ago, on June 1, 2022, the first issue of Sword and Shield made its appearance. Apparently it made something of a splash. Since that first issue—was it really only a scant two years ago!—much has transpired. Not the least of these events has been God’s reformation of the church in the establishment of the Reformed Protestant Churches. Every member of the denomination has his own story of how God brought him to the denomination. For many and perhaps most of those members, that story includes reading Sword and Shield, to one degree or another.

The history of the last two years of the magazine is a testimony to the weakness of men and the power of God. The men and women who are involved in the publication of the magazine are nothing. I know that they would give the same testimony about themselves, but let me speak only for myself. There has probably never been a more unsuitable editor for a magazine, and yet God permits the magazine not only to exist but also to be on the front lines of the battle for the truth of sovereign grace, the unconditional covenant, and the gospel of salvation by Jesus Christ alone. The magazine is thus a testimony to the unconditional mercy and grace of our God, whose truth endures forever.

As for the reading public’s reception of the magazine, most seem either to love it or to hate it. As far as I can tell, Sword and Shield is not one of those things in life that people are generally indifferent about. Some still burn the magazine, quite literally. Others still wait by the mailbox, quite literally, so that they can get it and read it before the other members of the household. This is as it should be. The magazine deals with the truth of the gospel on the battlefield of faith. When it comes to the truth, you must either love it or hate it. You must either believe it or damn it. There is no middle ground.

Looking back at the first issue, I can’t believe how tame it was. People’s reactions to the magazine made it seem as if the magazine razed the land like a marauding horde. They were aghast at its polemical tone, which polemical tone had not been heard with any volume in the Protestant Reformed Churches for many years. But that first issue was as gentle as a lamb! Did so many really get so bent out of shape by it? We must be a soft and doughy people indeed if we took to the fainting couch over that. Since that time God has only honed the magazine’s edge and strengthened its fighting mettle. As we begin volume 3, let us remember that the magazine is polemical. It is not merely a magazine that says true things, though it strives to speak the truth of the Reformed faith. But the hallmark of Sword and Shield is that it fights. It fights for the truth. It contends against the lie. The polemical character of the magazine is what makes it hated by so many. The hatred of so many will put pressure on the association, the board, the writers, and the editors to tone it down. Let that never happen. If the magazine ever tones it down to please men, then someone please kill the magazine quickly and start another fighting magazine in its place.

If I may be permitted to quote from the editorial in the first issue,

This means that the content of Sword and Shield must be polemical. Sword and Shield does not exist to prevent controversies or to smooth them over when they appear. Sword and Shield does not exist to bemoan the fact that spiritual warfare exists and that fighting must be done. Rather, Sword and Shield exists to fight. It exists to expose the lie in the service of the truth. It exists to oppose the lie as the enemy of God, the enemy of God’s truth, and the deadly enemy of God’s people. Sword and Shield exists to draw blood in battle so that the enemy is killed or routed from the field. If Sword and Shield ever becomes timid and cowardly in battle so that the enemy finds an opening and a comfortable place from which to deceive God’s people, then cursed be the editor, the writers, and the readers of Sword and Shield. This is God’s own sobering judgment regarding those who bear a sword. “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood” (Jer. 48:10).

Finally, the magazine costs something to publish. Each issue runs several thousand dollars, most of which goes for printing and mailing. Many generous donations have come in, ranging from thousands of dollars to a few dollars, so that the magazine can be sent free to our readers each month. We marvel at how God has provided through this means. We would like to continue to publish the magazine free of charge to our readers as long as possible. If you consider Sword and Shield a worthy cause, consider making a donation through the contact info found on the masthead. Please, and thank you.

As we thanked God in the first issue for giving our little nothing of a magazine its place, so we thank God now for giving us the beginning of another volume. May God speed the truths written herein to your hearts and the next issue into your hands.